5 Things - Flames @ Devils

1. Across The Hudson

New opponent. New state. 

Same big-city feel.

The Flames spent Wednesday resetting in Manhattan after a tough start to this five-game, Eastern road trip, with the midpoint of the nine-day tour set for this evening at the Prudential Center in Newark.

First-period penalties got Calgary off-kilter two nights ago at Madison Square Garden, and two second-period goals by the Rangers only further frustrated their guests Tuesday in a 4-0 setback.

But in this busy month of March, there's no real time to dwell on what went wrong.

Consider forward Matt Coronato, who had a whack of friends and family on hand at MSG. He led Calgary with six shots on goal - and 10 shot attempts - against the Rangers, but could not solve veteran goalie Jonathan Quick.

For his Head Coach, the message remains simple.

If at first, you don't succeed. Try, try again.

"I mean, you just gotta keep shooting, though," Ryan Huska said of Coronato, who has 14 goals on the campaign. "When you are in a situation like he's in, I think the challenge for a young player is to get down on themselves a little bit and let the frustration creep in when it's almost the opposite.

"Just go back at it, and every chance you get, you go to the net as hard as you can, and eventually, one's gonna go in off you, and you gotta continue to believe in yourself."

Last year, the bit of home time did Coronato well. In the three road fixtures against the Rangers, Devils and Islanders, the Long Island product scored four times. 

And if he keeps generating the way he did Tuesday, the law of averages suggests soon, his - and by extension, the Flames' - luck will turn.

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2. Know Your Enemy

The Flames are in the thick of a stretch that sees them play 16 games in 30 days, but tonight's opponent, the Devils, have been idle since Sunday. Tonight's game marks contest No. 5 in a seven-game homestand for New Jersey, who last saw action Sunday in a 3-0 shutout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Moritz Seider, James van Riemsdyk and Dominik Shine scored for the Red Wings that evening - the 32-year-old Shine counting his first career NHL goal - while John Gibson turned aside all 31 shots that came his way.

New Jersey wakes up this morning 12 points shy of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference, despite sitting two games over the .500 mark. Jesper Bratt leads the club with 48 points this season, while Nico Hischier's 21 goals are tops among Devils skaters.

Former Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves in Sunday's loss. He's posted an .888 save percentage across 36 appearances in 2025-26. Markstrom is tied for the League lead among netminders this season with three assists, a stat he shares with Seattle's Joey Daccord.

3. Fast Facts

2025-26 Season Series

Tonight's game marks the second of two meetings this season between Calgary and New Jersey, with the Devils holding the upper hand in the season set on the strength of a 2-1 overtime win at the Scotiabank Saddledome Jan. 19.

Dawson Mercer and Nazem Kadri exchanged second-period tallies in that contest, before defenceman Simon Nemec ended it 1:18 into overtime. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves to earn the win for the Devils, while Devin Cooley stopped 30 of 32 shots he faced for the Flames. 

But the Prudential Center has been a happy hunting ground for Calgary in recent years. The Flames have won in six of their last seven trips to Newark, a run dating back to Feb. 3, 2017.

Did You Know?

Flames captain Mikael Backlund is on the verge of a milestone, sitting on 599 career points following his assist Monday in Washington.

With one more point, Backlund could become the 26th Swedish NHLer to record 600 or more points in the League.

He enters play Thursday 10 points shy of tying Johnny Gaudreau for fifth place among Flames career points leaders.

4. Quick Wytter

Prospect Ethan Wyttenbach took in Tuesday's Flames contest against the Rangers during a soft spot in the schedule for his Quinnipiac University side, meeting with Calgary GM Craig Conroy and others during his visit to Madison Square Garden.

Wyttenbach, the NCAA Division I scoring leader with 57 points, turned 19 years of age just over a month ago, and was drafted by the Flames out of the USHL in the fifth round of last June's NHL Draft.

His Bobcats, ranked No. 7 in the latest USCHO national poll, open their post-season campaign Friday on home ice against Conroy's old school - Clarkson.

We caught up with Wyttenbach Tuesday to learn more about his season, the visit with the Flames and his relationship with fellow Long Islander Matt Coronato. Read that piece HERE.

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Kevin Bahl

"He's our best defenceman right now."

That, from Head Coach Ryan Huska Tuesday when asked about Bahl, who has been as dependable a defender as they come since being acquired by Calgary from New Jersey two summers ago.

And in the first two games of the trip, Bahl has worn an 'A' on his sweater, taking on a bigger role as part of a new-look Flames leadership group.

Bahl has two assists in three career games against his former Devils mates, and enters play Thursday one assist shy of 50 for his career.

Devils - Jack Hughes

The U.S. Olympic overtime hero has been limited to just 43 NHL contests this season, but he scored a hat-trick as part of a four-point night Mar. 7 against the Rangers, giving him 45 points on the campaign.

The former No. 1 pick had an assist over 20:41 of work in the reverse fixture back in January, and enters play tonight four points shy of 400 for his NHL career.